In this Must Know…
- Submit your proposal to join the MEHKO Advocacy Cohort and learn more at the HomeCOOKed 2024 Conference on March 20, 2024
- Join our webinar on How to Run a District Meeting on March 19, 2024 at 3:00pm PT
- Sign our letter of support for SB 1103 – Protecting Commercial Tenants
- Sign our letter of support for SB 1482 – Responsible Business Lending
- CAMEO CEO Carolina Martinez was featured in a recent Reuters article on how high interest rates and last year’s bank failures have impacted small businesses looking for credit.
- This week’s Goodie Highlight is the Federal Reserve’s 2023 Small Business Credit Survey findings!
Join the MEHKO Advocacy Cohort – Learn More at HomeCOOKed 2024
As part of the California MEHKO Project, CAMEO and COOK Alliance are seeking community based organization partners to advocate for the establishment of a MEHKO program in counties where MEHKOs are not currently legal. COOK Alliance and CAMEO will act as facilitators/trainers in an educational cohort of awardees who will collaborate to develop MEHKO advocacy initiatives.
Cohort members will receive $5,000 to facilitate their participation. To apply, please submit your proposal by April 11, 2024.
To learn more about the cohort, join COOK Alliance’s 5th annual conference, HomeCOOKed, on March 20, 2024 at 12:00pm PT.
Webinar: How to Run a District Meeting
Join How to Run a District Meeting on March 19, 2024 at 3:00pm PT.
CAMEO’s VP of Engagement and External Relations (and our longtime advocacy pro), Heidi Pickman, will walk you through the process of setting up and running a successful district meeting, step by step.
The California legislature will be on spring recess from March 21 to April 1, 2024. It’s the perfect time to meet with your representatives face to face and talk to them about the issues that matter the most to you and your organization.
Your voice matters, so make it heard!
Federal Policy Updates
This week, we have lots of budget-related policy updates from the federal government, including:
- Congress voted to pass a 6-bill spending package to partially fund the federal government for FY2024 and will continue to negotiate the second package ahead of the March 22 deadline.
- President Biden released his FY2025 budget request, which includes $12.5 million for the SBA PRIME Grant Program.
To learn more about these updates, check out our latest blog post.
Support SB 1103
SB 1103 (Menjivar) creates equity and transparency with respect to commercial leasing and reduces the risk of community-serving small businesses and nonprofits being displaced.
The bill will first be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee sometime in April, and we need your support. Please fill out this form to sign our support letter.
CAMEO is a co-sponsor on this bill along with Bet Tzedek, Inclusive Action for the City, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of San Francisco, Public Counsel, and Small Business Majority.
The Goodies
Research & Resources
- The recently published 2023 Small Business Credit Survey shows signs of a further waning of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on firms, as challenges closely associated with the pandemic—like supply chain issues—eased between 2022 and 2023.
- CA for the Arts has a DIY Legislator Meeting Toolkit.
Industry News
- U.S. Representatives Judy Chu and Nydia Velazquez introduced legislation to improve and make permanent the SBA’s Community Advantage (CA) pilot loan program.
- Last week, a federal court ruled that the Minority Business Development Agency can no longer use race to determine eligibility for its programs.
Virtual Events
- The Small Business Anti-Displacement Network (SBAN) is hosting the 2024 Call for Case Studies Pre-Proposal info session TODAY at 11:00am PT.
- Join NALCAB on March 28, 2024 at 12:00pm PT for the webinar The President’s FY 2025 Budget & What is in It to Support Latino Communities.
Other Goodies
- Professional Opportunity: The USASBE Rural Entrepreneurship Symposium will take place June 19-21, 2024 in Burlington, VT.
- Jobs: Working Solutions, La Cocina, and Feed The Hunger Fund announced new jobs recently. See who else is hiring!